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Town Centre CCTV

Felixstowe volunteers for safer community using wireless CCTV

Felixstowe has successfully initiated the fight against crime with the use of a wireless CCTV system, monitored by a group of volunteers who are keen to ensure the safety of the local community. Overcoming issues associated with the geographical layout of the town, the cameras provide the police with the information they need to ensure that any anti-social behaviour is kept to a minimum.

Suffolk is one of the safest counties in England, and Suffolk Coastal, home to Felixstowe, is one of the safest districts within the county. However, the council is far from complacent about the impact of crime, particularly anti-social behaviour. They also recognise that fear of crime is one of the key issues for their residents which is why ‘feeling safe and being safe from crime’ is one of the Council’s priorities.

As with many towns and cities in the UK, a substantial proportion of crime and disorder taking place in Felixstowe is linked with alcohol abuse, often taking place in the town centre. "There’s a marked increase in activity in the town centre between 6pm and 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights," says Guy Richardson, Head of Council Community Safety Team. "We knew that CCTV would be one of the best ways to help address the issue, although it has taken us longer than we would have liked to get the necessary funding."

Thanks to a successful bid by the Suffolk Coastal Community Safety Partnership to the Home Office for £37,000, they were able to get sufficient funds to install their first CCTV system. To help plan and install the necessary equipment, Mr Richardson brought in a local company STC Solutions. "We've worked together in the past and they've always provided us with excellent solutions that meet all of our requirements, without breaking the bank," he says.

RDT provide a wireless solution

STC needed to find a solution that would both suit the budget of the Council and the geographical layout of the town. With steep cliffs between the sea front and the town centre, both areas targeted for surveillance, it was decided that a wireless system would be the most suitable solution.

RDT’s VideoWave Digital was selected for ease of installation and its ability to use camera installations as relay points thus extending range through the urban environment without loss of image quality.

Vista PowerDome cameras, along with the RDT transmitters/receivers, have been fixed to lamp posts in strategic areas of the town. "We used the current infrastructure to help keep costs down," says Mr Skates, Managing Director of STC Solutions. "We’ve also set the system up so that it can be expanded as further funds become available."

Norbain was chosen to supply all of the equipment for the installation. "We’ve been a customer with Norbain for a number of years and the level of support we’ve received has been very impressive," says Mr Skates. "As well as receiving excellent technical assistance, our account manager has carried out training days and brought the Vista van to us to demo the equipment. It’s also great to know that should the equipment we’ve bought turn out to be not quite right for the job, we can return it with no quibbles and get it replaced with something else."

Volunteering for duty

A Vista Columbus DVR sits in the control room, which is situated in the Police Station, along with a flat screen monitor and a Vista keyboard. "We are very familiar with the Vista range and know its capabilities," says Mr Skates. "Not only is all the kit robust and cost- effective, but it’s easy for the end-user to operate, which was especially important in this installation." This is because the control room is manned at key times by a volunteer team, with little or no prior knowledge of CCTV and its workings.

The use of volunteers is seen to be the key to making the system a success.

Inspector Steve Gallant of the Felixstowe Police came up with the idea of using volunteers to help man the system. "Having secured capital funds for the system it became apparent that there was no revenue funding available for the employment of staff," he explains. "With no one free on the police staff to take on the extra duties, I thought that the use of volunteers would be an ideal solution." In order to find out more, Insp. Gallant carried out a visit to Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, where a very successful and longstanding volunteer system was already running. "I was very impressed by what I saw and was very keen to replicate their success in Felixstowe."

All the volunteers recruited to date have been local people who come from a diverse background and who want to give up some time to help the local community and to make their town a better place to live. "None of them has worked with the police before, but are already being seen as a vital resource in our fight to improve the quality of life for local residents," says Insp. Gallant.

The CCTV Partnership, which was formed to support the grant application, still plays a very active roll, ensuring that funding continues and allows the CCTV system to grow in-line with the needs of the community. The members of this partnership include representatives from Suffolk Constabulary, Felixstowe Town Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council, Suffolk County Council and Felixstowe Chamber of Trade and Commerce.

Getting the results

With an unmonitored system the main benefits are around detection as it can be used to reveal suspects once an offence has been reported; but with the addition of the volunteers the system can be used to prevent offences occurring in the first place. "Through their vigilance we are able to direct patrolling officers to rowdy groups of revellers and known shoplifters in real time," says Inspector Gallant. "As the success of the CCTV system grows then it can act a deterrent to those that would seek to come to our town to commit offences." So far, the system has been used to good effect to arrest shoplifters, pickpockets and a couple of individuals wanted on warrants. They’ve also been able to detect criminal damage to vehicles and street furniture, as well as locate missing and vulnerable persons.

"As with any new initiative there have been a few teething problems," comments Insp. Gallant. But there is one thing for sure: it is definitely assisting us in our policing objectives. One of the key attributes of the system is also the ability to grow as and when more funds become available."

About stc solutions

STC Solutions was established in 2001, selling a range of services to the industrial market place, including weighing equipment, counting machines and CCTV. The company’s ethos has remained unchanged during its rapid growth over the years: to deliver quality services and products to a local market place, whilst satisfying and exceeding the demands of its customers in terms of speed of response, pricing and, most importantly, flexibility.